08:25-01
7Ronald-Hewitt
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=rjo
TAPE#95-106
GRAPHIC=None
The holiday has turned tragic for a Rockbridge County family following the
fatal shooting of a son.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
26-year old Ronald C. Hewitt is accused of killing 24- year- old Christopher
Higgins and wounding Higgins' girlfriend Brenda Tomlin.
Tomlin dated Hewitt two years ago.
SUPER=04-December 24;
The victim's family says Hewitt forced his way into their home on Christmas
Eve and was armed with a rifle.
As Higgins and Tomlin were in bed Hewitt allegedly walked down the hallway
and shot them both.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:12:09
IN Q=He was just
((BARBARA WEEMS/VICTIM'S SISTER: HE WAS JUST ALWAYS THERE FOR ME AND I THINK I
WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR HIM WHEN HE NEEDED ME.))
((CARL HIGGINS/VICTIM'S BROTHER: YOU KNOW I WOULD LIKE FOR HIM TO HAVE THE
ELECTRIC CHAIR... I WOULD LIKE FOR HIM TO SPEND HIS LIFE IN PRISON. AS LONG AS
JUSTICE IS DONE. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IT'S NOT GOING TO BRING CHRIS BACK.))
SUPER=01-Barbara Weems/Victim's Sister; (QUICK!)
SUPER=01-Carl Higgins/Victim's Brother; :07
OUT Q=bring Chris back.
RUNS=:18
(----------------)
VO-NAT
Tomlin is in critical condition at the University of Virginia Hospital-
Hewitt will be arraigned in January.
(----------------)
7Heaters
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#95-105
GRAPHIC=NONE
A weekend fire has left an elderly Boones Mill woman in critical, but
stable condition at the U-V-A Burn Center.
Evelyn Scott suffered second and third degree burns Saturday in an accident
involving portable space heaters.
Each year numerous fires are blamed on the appliances.
But as Kimberly McBroom reports, many of them are preventable.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Fire officials
SUPER=03-Boones Mill/December 23; :00
SUPER=01-Lt. Jim Hylton/Roanoke City Fire Dept.; :16
SUPER=03-Roanoke; :30
SUPER=01-Carl Carty/Lowe's Home Center; :41
SUPER=@Kimberly1; 1:02
RUNS=1:09
OUT Q=McBroom, News 7
(( Fire officials say 84- year- old Evelyn Scott was trying to re-fuel her
kerosene heater when she accidentally fell and spilled the fuel into a nearby
electric heater.
Authorities say accidents involving portable heaters are all too common.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 7:03:11
((LT. JIM HYLTON/ROANOKE CITY FIRE DEPT.: I HAVEN'T PERSONALLY NOTICED AN
INCREASE, BUT WE HAVE FIRES FROM SPACE HEATERS EVERY YEAR FROM EITHER PEOPLE
USING THEM IMPROPERLY, OR USING THE WRONG FUEL IN THEM-- OR ELSE TRYING TO
BOOST THE FIRE BY ADDING GAS OR KEROSENE TO A FIRE TO TRY TO GET IT TO HURRY UP
AND CATCH UP. ))
RUNS=:14
The early arrival of Old Man Winter has boosted the sales of space heaters.
Lowe's Home Center employees estimate they've sold about two- thousand units
since October.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 8:09:32
((CARL CARTY/LOWE'S HOME CENTER: THINGS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PUT OFF UNTIL
FEBRUARY-- THEY WERE IN HERE IN DECEMBER, READY TO GO AND TRY TO GET THEIR
HOUSE WARM. ))
RUNS=:08
And while heating your home-- fire officials say it's important to
remember the basics.
Change the batteries in smoke detectors, keep combustible materials at
least three feet away from portable heaters, and use the proper fuel in all
heat sources.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT standup 8:14:46
((KIMBERLY MCBROOM/NEWS 7: SO NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF HEAT SOURCE YOU USE THIS
WINTER-- IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALSO USE GOOD COMMON SENSE. KIMBERLY MCBROOM, NEWS
7. ))
))
RUNS=:08
7Fire
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#95-95
GRAPHIC=Fire Aftermath
Meantime, fire investigators are still looking for the source of a
suspicious fire that destroyed a city landmark.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg;
The blaze gutted the old Lukens building on Commerce Street, and a structure
next door.
The remains of the building have been too hot and too unstable for
authorities to get inside the rubble and search for clues.
A crane will be in place this morning to knock down the elevator shaft and
one corner of the building that is still standing.
Fire Marshal John Jennings is asking state police to help in the
investigation.
(----------------)
7Weapons
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=none
Governor Allen is standing strong behind the state's concealed weapon law.
Allen is promising to fight any efforts to change or repeal the new law
that makes it easier for Virginians to carry a concealed weapon.
The governor said yesterday the law works and poses no danger to public
safety.
Some lawmakers say they'll try to amend the law in the next General
Assembly.
They say it has contributed to violence.
7WEATHER
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=
Taking a look now at the forecast for your Thursday -
It's going to be partly sunny but cold today, with highs in the 30s.
For tonight, you can expect some clouds - lows will be around 20 degrees.
Your weekend will start off sunny and bit warmer - with temperatures high in
the mid 40s.
55Bliley
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=kmc
TAPE#95-102
GRAPHIC=NONE
White House and congressional negotiators resume budget talks tomorrow, when
the partial
government shutdown will hit the two-week mark.
The two sides remain far apart on how to achieve a balanced
budget in seven years.
But at least one Republican Congressman from Virginia is predicting a quick
end to the budget stalemate.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Richmond/Yesterday;
Tom Bliley has high hopes for Friday's meeting between the President and
G-O-P leaders.
Even so, Bliley still blames President Clinton for the shutdown-- saying he
has refused to come up with a balanced budget.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:01:44
IN Q=All of the details
((REP. TOM BLILEY/R- RICHMOND: ALL OF THE DETAILS WE WILL BE HAPPY TO
NEGOTIATE WITH YOU. BUT WE WILL NOT NEGOTIATE ON A SEVEN- YEAR BALANCED
BUDGET. AND THAT'S THAT SIMPLE. ))
SUPER=01-Rep. Tom Bliley/(R) Richmond;
RUNS=:11
OUT Q=that simple
(----------------)
VO-NAT
Bliley appeared at the state capitol yesterday with Governor Allen-- who
says a balanced budget would lower interest rates.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:03:53
IN Q=That means there's
((GOVERNOR GEORGE ALLEN: THAT
MEANS THERE'S MORE MONEY IN THE POCKETS AND THE CHECKING ACCOUNTS OF THE
PEOPLE. AND THAT MEANS WITH LOWER INTEREST RATES THERE IS MORE INVESTMENT WITH
MORE INVESTMENT THERE ARE MORE JOBS. IT HELPS THE HOUSING INDUSTRY, IT HELPS
WITH CAR LOANS, IT HELPS WITH COLLEGE TUITION, FOR EXAMPLE.))
SUPER=@Allen;
RUNS=:17
OUT Q=tuition, for example
TALENT=Beth
SS=none
Meanwhile, Bliley expects Congress will have a BALANCED budget to vote on
EARLY next week.
55Beale-Treasure
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=JoeD
TAPE#95-100
GRAPHIC=none
When he's not delivering mail in Roanoke, Ed Easterling is a treasure
hunter.
He's one of the true believers in the Beale Treasure, and Joe Dashiel went
on a treasure hunt with him.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=Ed Easterling has been hiking
SUPER=03-Bedford Co.; :00
SUPER=01-Ed Easterling/Treasure Hunter; :08
SUPER=04-November, 1989; :17
SUPER=@Joe1; 37
RUNS=1:30
OUT Q=JD News 7
((Ed Easterling has been hiking these hills since he was a boy...
And he now believes the Beale Treasure is within reach.
SOT
IN Q=I believe that it's right
((ED EASTERLING/TREASURE HUNTER: I BELIEVE THAT IT'S RIGHT AT OUR FINGERTIPS
NOW AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF PURSUING IT A LITTLE BIT DEEPER. AND I BELIEVE
SOMEBODY'S GOING TO FIND IT SOON.))
RUNS=:08
OUT Q=going to find it soon.
The prospect of gold and silver buried beneath the Bedford County
countryside has inspired more than a few searches.
But those expeditions have produced no trace of the fortune that Thomas
Jefferson Beale and his associates are said to have buried there more than 170
years ago.
Famed treasure hunter Mel Fisher failed and so have dozens of others, but
Easterling believes he knows where they went wrong.
STAND-UP
Easterling says this dirt path may be the key to finding the treasure.
He believes Mel Fisher and others were unsuccessful because they didn't know
the route of the old stage trail.
SOT 03:26:32
IN Q=I believe
((ED EASTERLING: I BELIEVE THAT MEL FISHER WAS INITIALLY ON THE RIGHT PATH, BUT
NOT HAVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE THE STAGE TRAIL RAN, I BELIEVE HE GOT OFF
COURSE RATHER RAPIDLY AND MADE SOME MONUMENTAL ERRORS AND ONCE HE GOT THE BALL
ROLLING IT WAS HARD TO STOP.))
RUNS=:16
OUT Q=hard to stop.
Easterling's research lead him to write, "In Search of the Golden Vault."
Convinced that the legend is no hoax, he's recruiting a team to search on 25
acres he believes are especially promising.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT
IN Q=You just can't go out in one day
((ED EASTERLING: YOU JUST CAN'T GO OUT IN ONE DAY AND EXPECT TO FIND TREASURE.
YOU HAVE TO BE PERSISTENT JUST LIKE IN ANY AREA OF LIFE, YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD
AT IT. AND YOU HAVE THE PATIENCE? I HAVE A LITTLE BIT LEFT.))
RUNS=:18
OUT Q=a little bit left.
Enough patience, he hopes, to reveal a fortune beneath his feet.
Joe Dashiell News 7 Bedford County))
55cake-bomb
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=cro
TAPE#none
GRAPHIC=none
When a Fairfax County woman found a package, wrapped in birthday paper on
the steps of her home in Annandale she feared the worst and called the bomb
squad.
X-Rays failed to determine what was in the box, which didn't have a card,
so the squad brought out the tank with the water cannon and blasted the box
with high pressure water.
The result was a soaking-wet blueberry cheesecake.
The woman's reaction?
Police say they think it was a mixture of relief and embarrassment.
55WEATHER
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=
Taking a look now at the forecast for your Thursday -
It's going to be partly sunny but cold today, with highs in the 30s.
For tonight, you can expect some clouds - lows will be around 20 degrees.
Your weekend will start off sunny and bit warmer - with temperatures high in
the mid 40s.
8Hewitt
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=rjo
TAPE#95-106
GRAPHIC=None
The shooting death of a young man has shattered the holiday for a Rockbridge
County family.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
26-year old Ronald C. Hewitt is accused of killing 24- year- old Christopher
Higgins and wounding Higgins' girlfriend Brenda Tomlin.
Tomlin had dated Hewitt two years ago.
SUPER=04-December 24;
The victim's family says Hewitt forced his way into their home on Christmas
Eve armed with a rifle.
As Higgins and Tomlin were in bed Hewitt allegedly walked down the hallway
and shot them both.
Now family members are mourning the loss.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 10:12:09
IN Q=He was just (QUICK!)
((BARBARA WEEMS/VICTIM'S SISTER: HE WAS JUST ALWAYS THERE FOR ME AND I THINK I
WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR HIM WHEN HE NEEDED ME.))
((CARL HIGGINS/VICTIM'S BROTHER: YOU KNOW I WOULD LIKE FOR HIM TO HAVE THE
ELECTRIC CHAIR... I WOULD LIKE FOR HIM TO SPEND HIS LIFE IN PRISON. AS LONG AS
JUSTICE IS DONE. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IT'S NOT GOING TO BRING CHRIS BACK.))
SUPER=01-Barbara Weems/Victim's Sister;
SUPER=01-Carl Higgins/Victim's Brother; :07
OUT Q=bring Chris back.
RUNS=:18
(----------------)
VO-NAT
Tomlin is in critical condition at the University of Virginia Hospital-
Hewitt will be arraigned in January.
(----------------)
8Burns
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=bmy
TAPE#95-105
GRAPHIC=NONE
Portable space heaters frequently cause house fires in the cold months.
Last weekend, 84- year- old Evelyn Scott of Boones Mill suffered second and
third degree burns when she tried to refuel hers.
She's now in critical, but stable condition at the U-V-A Burn Center.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Boones Mill/December 23;
Fire officials say Scott was trying to re-fuel her kerosene heater Saturday
when she accidentally fell and spilled the fuel into a nearby electric heater.
Authorities say accidents involving portable heaters are often caused by
improper use or fueling.
SUPER=03-Roanoke;
This year's cold spells have boosted the sales of space heaters.
Lowe's Home Center employees estimate they've sold about two- thousand units
since October.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 8:09:06
IN Q=A lot of people
((CARL CARTY/LOWE'S HOME CENTER: A LOT OF PEOPLE NEED AUXILIARY HEAT. THEY'RE
WORRIED ABOUT THE ICE STORMS-- THAT'S WHERE THE KEROSENE HEATERS COME IN. ))
SUPER=01-Carl Carty/Lowe's Home Center;
RUNS=:09
OUT Q=heaters come in
(----------------)
VO-NAT
Fire officials say to prevent accidents, remember the basics.
(/////SOT/////)
SOT 7:00:37
IN Q=Mostly, you need
((LT. JIM HYLTON/ROANOKE CITY FIRE DEPT.: MOSTLY, YOU NEED TO KEEP IN MIND
THAT YOU USE THE PROPER FUEL IN YOUR HEATING EQUIPMENT. EACH YEAR, YOU SHOULD
SERVICE YOUR STOVE OR YOUR FURNACE AND MAKE SURE IT'S IN PROPER WORKING ORDER.
))
SUPER=01-Lt. Jim Hylton/Roanoke City Fire Dept.;
RUNS=:13
OUT Q=proper working order
(----------------)
VO-NAT
Hylton adds that it is important to check and change batteries in smoke
detectors and keep combustible materials at least three feet away from portable
heaters.
(----------------)
8Fire
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=ssm
TAPE#95-95
GRAPHIC=Fire Aftermath
Meanwhile, investigators continue to search for answers in the fire that
destroyed a Lynchburg landmark Christmas Day.
They say it could be at least another week before they know more.
(----------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=03-Lynchburg;
The suspicious fire destroyed the old Lukens building on Commerce Street,
and gutted a structure next door.
The remains of the building have been too hot and too unstable for
authorities to get inside the rubble and search for clues.
A crane will be in place this morning to knock down the elevator shaft and
one corner of the building that's still standing.
Fire Marshal John Jennings is asking state police to help in the
investigation.
(----------------)
8Greenbrier
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cro
TAPE# edit of 95-13/casino-gambling/cued at 15:07
GRAPHIC=none
The Greenbrier Resort will again ask the West Virginia legislature to
approve gambling at the hotel.
(-------------)
VO-NAT
SUPER=@File;
Legislators gave the proposal thumbs down in March.
A gambling lobbyist for the hotel says he envisions a Monte Carlo-type
atmosphere that would include poker and craps for overnight guests.
A bill being prepared would aim to limit gambling to the hotel and allow
voters to decide whether they want the games in Greenbrier County.
(-------------)
8Prisons
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=morn
WRITER=cro
TAPE# none
GRAPHIC=none
The state Department of Corrections will purchase land options for two
prisons in southwest Virginia, one in Lee County and one in Tazewell County.
State officials say the Corrections Department is considering a both sites
for a medium or maximum security prison.
8WEATHER
ANCHOR=Melanie
NEWSCAST=cutin
WRITER=nle
TAPE#
GRAPHIC=
Taking a look now at the forecast for your Thursday -
It's going to be partly sunny but cold today, with highs in the 30s.
For tonight, you can expect some clouds - lows will be around 20 degrees.
the mid 40s.
Your weekend will start off sunny and bit warmer - with temperatures high in